Buckle



R BOBINS Aug. 11, 1925.

BUCKLE Filed 001;. 20. 1923 5 n T./ m5 V0 5 4/ BY 2 g L: ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

ED STATES ROBERT ROBINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BUCKLE.

Application filed October 20, 1923.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that l, Ronnn'r Booms, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at 6348 Lakewood Ave, Chicago,

5 in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention concerns buckles and has particular reference to belt buckles of the self-locking type. Buckles of the type 'referred to generally comprise a body portion having a pair of side flanges between which one end of the belt is received while on the r pivot pin extending across the flanges a cam or gripping member is mounted with a releasing member for such cam, said releasing member having the other half end secured thereto.

Upon actuation of the releasing member in one direction, the cam is forced into engagement with the free belt end, which is inserted between the side flanges, while actuation of the releasing member in the other direction separates the gripping or cam member from the free belt end.

The belt buckles hitherto produced and marketed, however, have objectionable fea tures inv the use thereof and it therefore provide a belt buckle in which the gripping member adapted to engage the free end of the belt may be instantly pressed toward the face plate of the body portion or may be instantly released, so that the buckle may quickly tighten the belt or release the same.

It is another object of the invention to ar-v range the gripping member and said releasing or actuating member in such position that the aforementioned quick release and quick engagement with the body portion is obtained upon slight movement of the actuating member.

It is a further object of the invention to arrange the actuating member or base plate on the pivot pin of the body portion and to secure the gripping member to the base constitutes the principal object of my in-v Serial No. 689,824.

plate so that the gripping member is bodily moved upon movement of the base plate.

It is a further object of the invention to so secure the gripping member on the base plate such that the gripping member may have movement with and independent'of the movement of the base plate.

A still further object constitutes the provision of a gripping member on the base plate so that the former may have an independent rotary movement With respect to the base plate.

Another object consists therein that the gripping member is journaled in the base plate parallel and removed from the pivot pin of the base plate.

A further object aims at the provision of means for limiting rotary movement of said gripping member.

A still further object constitutes the provision of a belt buckle in which the gripping member is journaled in the base plate eccentric with respect to the pivot mounting of said base plate and eccentric to its own axis.

A further object constitutes the provision of a belt buckle in which a knurled gripping roller is secured to the base plate to serve as a gripping member so that no sharp edges are brought in engagement with the belt and thus the setting up a cutting action is effectively prevented.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a solid gripping roller which engages with an arcuate surface, the belt so that a comparatively large contact area between the roller and the belt is obtained and the pressure on the belt is more distributed.

A- further object constitutes furthermore the arrangen'ient, construction and provision of means tending to increase the reliability and usefullness of a device of this character.

lVith these and other equally important objects in view, which will appear as the description of the invention proceeds, the latter comprises the means hereinafter described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims forming a part thereof and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the belt and buckle constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the buckle showing the actuating member for the gripper in effective and non-effective position.

Figure 3 is a detailed view of the gripper shown in the form of a knurled solid roller.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the actuating member and roller.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section of a buckle equipped with a slight modification. Referring to the several views of the drawing 10 generally 'designates the body portion of the buckle and comprises a face plate which at the center is bulged and at the ends coalesces into less curved portions 12. At the sides the face plate 10 is equipped with depending flan yes 13 which at the free end are bent inwardly at right angles and form ledges 14; as appears in Figure 1. The side flanges 13 are apertured asat 15 for the reception of a pin or pintle 16 which constitutes a pivot pin for a belt attaching member or base plate generally designated by 17. The base plate 17 comprises a body portion 18 which at the sides is formed with Lip-standing flanges 19 apertnred at one end as at 23, to receive the pivot pin 16. The base plate is provided with a cut out portion 20 so that at one end of the base plate a web 21 is produced around which one end of the belt 22 is looped. Thus it will be apparent that the pivot pin 16 e2;- tends across from one flange of the face plate to the other'and al o extends through apertures 23 of the flanges 19 of the base plate 17, 'whereby the latter is pivotally mounted to the body portion 16 of the buckle. The manner of securing one belt end to the web 21 of the base plate known as a belt attaching member, does not fall within the scope of this invention, so that furtherreference'thereto is deemed superfluous. Ata distance from the apertures 23, preferably adjacent 'to the upper end of flanges 19, apertures 2 1 are provided in horizontal alignment for the reception of a pivot pin 25 which extends parallel to the axis of a roller 26, but at a distance from the axis of the latter. The roller 26 is provided with a lug 27 ateach end and each lug has the form of a sector which serves a purpose presently to be described.

As appears in Figure 4, the roller 26 is mounted on the pivot pin 25 so that the lugs 27 are above the upper edge of the side flanges 19 and the latter are equipped with notches 28, which are adapted to receive partially the lugs 27 when the roller 26 is retated about the pivot pin 25 in clockwise direction'as viewed in Figure 4:. In this manner, the rotation of theroller 26 in clockwise direction is limited by the engagement of the lugs 27 with the walls of the notches 28. In use the free belt end 29 is threaded underneath face plate 11 and between the side flanges 18 of the buckle proper, whereupon the belt attaching member 17 is turned in clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2 for the purpose of forcing the friction roll-er 26 into engagement with the free belt end 29 so as to press the latter into contact with the lower side of the face plate 11.

Attention is called to the fact that the roller 26 is journaled in the side flanges 19 of the base plate 17 so that pivotal move-- ment of the base plat-e entails bodily movement ofthe friction roller 26. In addition. however, the friction roller 26 has an independent rot-arymovement about the pivotal pin 25 to one side of the axis of the roller 26. so that upon a pull being exerted upon the free belt end 29, the friction roller 26 is rotated in clockwise direction until the lugs 21'' are received in the notches 28 and further rotary independent movement of the roller 26 is prevented. Then, the roller engagcd directly with the inner side of the belt end 29 and presses the latter against the inner side of the face plate 11 to curely lock the belt end in position and prevent withdrawal of the same from the buckle. In order to heighten the engage ment between the roller 26 and the free belt end, the former is provided with knurling 30, insuring thereby frictional engagement of the roller with the belt end without having sharp edges which might cut into the belt end and sever the same. Furthermore, the fact that a comparatively large area of the roller 26 engages a belt end, the pres= ire attained by the friction roller is distributed over an equally large'contact surface of the belt end, so that the latter is not so quickly worn as if one or'two sharp edges would en gage the belt endas has been the practice hitherto in vogue.

It is further noteworthy that the independent movement of the roller about the pivot pin 25 permits adaptation of the buckle to extremely thin belts because under a pull of the belt end 29 to the, right, as used in Figure 2, the roller partially rotates about the pivot pin 25 and thus insures good contact with the belt end and the face plate and locks the belt end 29 against withdrawal.

The employment of the buckle embodying my invention readily establishes the superior features thereof because a withdrawal of the'free belt end from the buckle while face plate 19 is in operative position (shown-in solid lines in Figure 2), is next to impossible.

Another valuable feature of the invention consists therein that a slight pivotal movement of base plate 17 causes instant arrangement of the roller 26 in operative or idle position, as the case may be. Referring particularly to Figure 2, it is shown that when the base plate 19 is turned-in counterclockwise direction to the extent of a few degrees, the roller 26 is completely disengaged from the belt end 29, so that the latter can be conveniently withdrawn from the buckle.

Thus the improved buckle has considerable advantages over the prior buckles by reason of the fact that the friction roller or gripping member 26 is journaled in the base plate eccentric with respect to the pivotal mounting of the face plate 10 and also eccentric with respect to its own axis so that the gripping member 26 has a compound movement, once a body movement about the pivot pin 6 concurrent with the base plate 17 and then an independent rotary movement about the eccentric pivot pin 25.

In Figure 5 a slight modification is shown inasmuch as one end of the belt is not secured to the base plate 31 by looping it around a web, but there the base plate has pivotally secured thereto a jaw 32 which is journalled in side flanges 33 of the base plate at 34. At one end, the jaw 32 is provided with teeth 35, which are adapted to engage one end of the belt to secure the same to the base plate 81. The oposite end of the jaw 32 terminates in a curve extremity 36 which, in the operative position of the jaw 32, encases the lower half of the friction roller 26 to prevent direct contact to the friction roller when manipulating the buckle. Inasmuch as the construction and operation of this type of buckle in other respects is identical with the buckle first described, further description is deemed to be superfluous.

While the drawing discloses preferred embodiments of the invention, they are merely indicative of the principle on which the invention is predicated. Numerous changes and alterations may be conceived by those skilled in the art and I therefore do not limit myself to details of construction and arrangement of parts as shown, but

claim my invention as broadly as the state of the art permits.

I claim:

1. A belt buckle comprising a main body portion having a face plate portion and a pair of side flanges between which one end of the belt is received, apivot pin extending across from one flange to the other, a gripping member adapted to engage one end of the belt against said body portion, and a releasing member pivotally mounted on said pivot pin and having said gripping member pivotally secured thereto, the pivot of said gripping member being between the pivot pin and the free end of said releasing member.

2. A belt buckle comprising a main body portion having a face plate portion and a pair of side flanges between which one end of the belt is received, a pivot pin extending across from one flange to the other, a gripping member adapted to engage one end of the belt against said body portion, a releasing member pivotally mounted on said pivot pin and having said gripping member pivotally secured thereto, and means for securing the other end of the belt to said pivoted releasing member, the pivot of said gripping member being between the pivot pin and the free end of said releasing member.

3. In a buckle, a body member, a pivot pin carried thereby, a belt attaching member mounted on said pivot pin, and a gripping member journaled in said attaching member eccentric with respect to the pivotal mounting of said attaching member and adapted to press the free belt end toward said body member said gripping member being journaled between said pivot pin and the free end of said attaching member.

4. A belt buckle comprising a body portion having a face plate, a pivot pin carried by said body portion a base plate hav ing side flanges pivotally mounted on said pivot pin, a gripping roller journaled in said base plate parallel to but removed from said pii'nsaid gripping roller having lugs adapted to be received in notches providedin the side flanges of said base plate to limit rotary movement of said roller.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT ROBINS. 

